"I am certain the US will again join the Paris Agreement someday," he said speaking in the US Congress.

The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, at the COP-21 UN Climate Change Conference held in the French capital. A total of 195 countries signed it. The aim of the agreement is to prevent a rise in the average temperature on the planet by more than two degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial area by 2100. Scientists believe that a more significant increase in temperatures can lead to irreversible environmental effects.

In June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s plans to withdraw from the deal arguing that the agreement was a threat to the US economy. He also said that the Paris Agreement would cost the United States 2.7 million jobs by 2025.